Nut-lock.



No. 891,717. PATBNTED JUNE 23, 1908. w. MUGHIB.

NUT LOCK.

APPLIGATION FILED 00m11.190s.

@Romsey UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM MCGHIE, OF LIVE OAK,FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO CALVIN J. MCGEHEE, OF LIVE OAK,FLORIDA, AND ONE-THIRD TO OLIVER B. BURROUGHS, OF MONTIOELLO,

, FLORIDA.

N TIT-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .Tune 23, 1908.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MCGHIE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Live Oak, in the county of Suwanee and State of Florida,have invented new and useful Improvements in Nut-Locks, of which thefollowing is a speciiication.

rIhis invention relates to rail joints of the type in which the meetingends of the rail sections are connected by fish plates attached to therails through the medium of bolts having nuts applied thereto, theinvention being especially directed to means for fixing the nuts againstmovement to prevent their accidental escape from the bolts.

The invention has for its objects to provide a comparatively simple,inexpensive device of this character wherein the nut locking member maybe rapidly applied or removed, one in which the member serves as acommon means for xing all of the nuts, and one wherein the member may,in turn, be readily xed against movement.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises the novelfeatures of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafterdescribed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1- is a perspective view of a railjoint showing the locking member applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse sectional view of the same taken on the plane indicated bythe line 2-2 of Fig. 1, a bolt and nut being indicated in elevation.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 1, designate a pair of rail sectionsassembled in endwise relation and having applied to their opposite sidefaces Iish plates 2 held in place by means of transverse fasteningmembers or bolts 3 on which are tapped nuts 4, these parts being all ofthe usual or any preferred construction and material and adapted inpractice to perform their ordinary functions.

For locking the nuts 4 against movement I provide, in accordance withthe invention, a longitudinally movable locking member or plate 5adapted to overlie the base portion of the adjacent sh plate 2 andhaving in its outer edge outwardly opening slots 6 which register withcorresponding slots 7 formed in the rail base for the reception of thefastening spikes by which the rails are secured to the underlying ties,there being formed at the inner edge of the plate a plurality ofupwardly offset enlargements 8 appropriately spaced to bear respectivelybeneath the nuts 4 for holding the same against movement, while formedat the outer edge of the plate is a plurality of outwardly opening spikereceiving notches or recesses 9 for a purpose which will presentlyappear.

In practice, the nuts are applied to the bolts 3 in the usual manner andafter the nuts have been properly tightened the locking member or plate5 is slipped into place with the enlargements 8 seated beneath therespective nuts, the plate being finally secured against movement by therail holding spikes which are driven as usual into the underlying crossties and seated in the notches 6, 7. When it is desired toremove thenuts the spikes are drawn and the plate moved for carrying the bearingenlargements 8 to a position from beneath the nuts, whereupon the lattermay be readily turned. Under conditions which render it desirable toemploy more than two spikes for securing the rail to the ties theadditional spikes may be driven through the notches 9, as shown bydotted lines in Fig. 2.

It will be observed by reference to the drawings that the upperand'lower surfaces of the plate are parallel so that when the plate isplaced on the inclined base iiange of the fish plate the said plate isin an inclined position. The offset enlargements 8 are hollow, that. isto say, recesses are formed under them to economize material, and theupper surfaces of such offset enlargements are at an angle to the upperand lower surfaces of the plate so that when the latter is in aninclined position such upper surfaces of the enlargements lie in ahorizontal plane and are adapted to bear directly against the undersidesof the nuts, to lock such nuts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. As a new andimproved article of manufacture, a combined nut lock and base reillforcefor rail joints comprising a late to lie in an outwardly and downwardyinclined position u on a base flange, said plate being substantia ly ofuniform thickness throughout and having plane parallel upper and lowersurfaces, such plate being formed with hollow bosses or osets extendingfrom its upper side and vat its inner edge, said offsets being formed byupwardly displaced portions of the body of the plate and being spacedapart and having their upper'surfaces disfaces of the plate to lie in ahorizontal plane 1 for thepurpose set forth, the construction presentingrecesses on the underside of the plate beneath said offsets.

2. As a new and improved article of manufacture, a combined nut lock andbase reinforce for rail joints, the same comprising an oblongrectangular frame of substantially uniform thickness throughout vandhaving plane parallel upper and lower surfaces, said plate being adaptedto lie in an outwardly and downwardly inclined position upon a baseflange and being provided in its outer or lower longitudinal edge withspike notches, the plate being provided upon its upper surface andadjacent its inner or upper edge with hollow bosses or offsets formed byupwardly displaced portions of the body of the l plate, the constructionpresenting recesses in the underside of the plate beneath said offsets,the offsets being spaced apart and hav ing their upper surfaces disposedat an angle to the upper and lower surfaces of the plate to lie in ahorizontal plane, the recesses below said offsets opening through theinner edge of the plate and the side walls of said offsets vanishing insaid edge and increasing in depth therefrom to the outer ends of theoffsets, whereby the bearing surfaces of the offsets stand horizontallywhen the plate is in its inclined operative position.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MOGHIE. Witnesses:

M. E. BnooMn, J. FRANK JOHNSTON.

